Saturday, July 16, 2016

The Story of our New Trailer

It all stemmed from our camping experience last summer. A friend of mine invited me and the kids out for a few days of camping in Kananaskis.

On the way out, Madelyn had said to me, "Mummy, we're going to have so much fun, you're going to want to go camping All. The. Time." And I thought to myself, "No little girl. I will not."

But I did have a great time. So, when I got home I began to glance through Kijiji, looking for our new inexpensive, second-hand trailer.

I never found it. Summer came and went. Fall came and went. Winter came and went. I never found our trailer.

I continued browsing through Kijiji, every so often, still looking.

Me and the kids were invited again, by my friend, to join them camping this coming summer. We'd passed the test, and were all compatible. The kids were beyond thrilled. And very vocal that this time we needed to go for longer, FOR A WHOLE WEEK.

So I began to look at used trailers again with more interest.

During this time, Barry happened to mention to his brother, that I was on the quest for a tent trailer. He happened to have one for sale...

All the stars aligned, and we happen to be the proud new owners of a tent trailer.

To say that we are excited, is an understatement... Or at least, to say I am excited might be more accurate.

The boys love camping. The Scouts tent camp 2-3 times a year [even in the winter!] I am however, no longer a fan of tent camping. I'm past laying on the hard/damp ground. I want to be up off the ground. The tent trailer gives us that. It's similar to tenting, but more comfortable sleeping arrangements. We are still what I would consider 'roughing it', but we're roughing it with electricity. It's absolutely dreamy to plug in a kettle and make a hot beverage first thing in the morning.
If the weather is not conducive to being outside, we can hang out inside, play cards, read, play games, colour [or let's be honest... NAP] We can get out of the weather.

I would definitely not say we are glamping. No electronics. No TV's or video games. No large fridge to keep items cold. [Though, we just might bring our ice maker with us the next time we go] There's no bathroom, and we won't hook up water. No, it's definitely what I consider roughing it.

So yes, I'm excited. Because I love being in the mountains. Am I afraid of bears? Good heavens, YES. But there are enough people out and about, that I actually feel easier about it now. That and the fact that we have Madelyn with us certainly helps. First, she rarely stops talking. Second, she's a loud talker.

The down-side to camping so far, is registration for camping opened in February. We picked up our trailer in June. Every weekend is booked. Which means we've needed to be a little bit more creative. We've booked our dates through the week. So far, it's worked out for us.

Here is a layout I created from out first camping trip. Our 1st Adventure:

The layout above, is Sahlin Studio's free template available for the month of July only, get it before it's too late!